Benedict Cumberbatch & Sophie christened baby Christopher on Sunday

I will never stop using this photo. It just says so much about their marriage and their relationship. Some days, it really is like he’s an alien trying to learn about his new habitat.

Anyway, Our Alien Overlord has spawned, and now there’s a Cumberbaby in the world. The name has been confirmed by People Magazine too: Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch. CCC is now more than three months old. Sources claim that Bendy and Sophie fudged the date a little bit, which is what I always figured. The baby was born on June 1st and announced on June 13th. But they’re trying to stick with the “June 13th” timeline, because three months to the day of their baby announcement, they christened little Christopher Cumberbatch – if you have a subscription to The Sun, you can see the photos here. If not, join the club, I’m not buying a subscription to that paper either.

Three months after welcoming a baby boy, Benedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter have christened their son in a small ceremony on the Isle of Wight. The pair wed on Valentine’s day this year on the island, so it was only fitting that baby Christopher was welcomed into the Church of England during a service at the same church.

Held on Sunday in Mottisone, a village in the south west corner of the island, the service was a small affair just like their wedding. According to reports, the three-month-old wore a traditional white smock gown with mesh and lace detailing.

The island means a lot to the family who are thought to have family connections there, leading to the recent purchase of property in the area.

[From Metro]

The feeling I get is… posh. Or trying to be posh. We’ve had debates about Sophie’s poshness or lack thereof, but I really do get the feeling that she comes from old money and old-money connections. Benedict makes a big deal about his poshness and his education, but the reality is that he grew up in what we Americans would consider a slightly upper-middle class life. Good education, but not rolling in dough. The feeling I’m getting from the whole “a quiet but posh wedding on the Isle of Wight with historical significance to Sophie’s family, plus reusing the same church for the Cumberbaby’s christening” thing is that Sophie and Bendy really are angling to fit into a certain mold in British society/social class.

bendy1

wenn22801440

Photos courtesy of WENN, Twitter, People Magazine’s IG.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

79 Responses to “Benedict Cumberbatch & Sophie christened baby Christopher on Sunday”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Lindy79 says:

    I really like the name Christopher although the initials are a bit odd.
    How in the hell did the paps find out the Christening date and location??

    • whatsup says:

      It was a photo agency – set up because the IOW doesn’t get paps. So it was a prepared photo tip-off rather than paps.

      • An says:

        No, the photo agency is just licensing all the rejects for the Sun. Most of the pics were bad, which is why this had no press traction.

        Given how poorly done the shots are, I’d say local looking to make a buck or just understandably still upset, given all the wedding hubub. But the Isle was full of big and little press this weekend because of that big festival, so who knows.

      • Zingara says:

        I’ll speak to my good friends again and see if I can ask the right questions this time. They mentioned this to me when they returned from the Isle of Wight at the end of June. They were both born there, and return every couple of years with their children to visit their large extended family, who all still live there.

        I’m on this new medication that the doctor warned might affect my eyesight, because severe myopia is not enough of a problem… I read it as “Some days, it really is like he’s an alien trying to learn about his new HAIRCUT…”

        I really like the name, Christopher, too. It’s a good male name – not too posh or staid, not too trendy – that will see their son through from infancy to old age. For me, the CCC is going to always tie in with the great NZ sportswear brand. Canterbury Clothing Company, with its very distinctive logo.

      • Benn says:

        Actually there was a major festival taking place that day, which always attracts paps. The Island was crawling with them. Though according to one of the tabloids here in England, the pics were taken by a random member of the public who sold them. Highly unlikely they were a photo op; if they were, they’d have actually shown the baby properly.

    • Green Girl says:

      I vote for “local trying to make a quick buck,” too. I could totally see someone hearing through the local grapevine “That actor named Benedict Cucumberpatch or something is having his son baptized here this weekend,” and then an opportunist or two sits outside the church and waits.

      What I want to know is how he did this with ‘Hamlet.’ Did he go back and forth in a day? Did he have the day off?

      • lindy79 says:

        Most theatres don’t do shows on Sundays

      • Green Girl says:

        OK, thanks! I didn’t know that. I thought I read somewhere that he would be performing seven days a week during the entire run, but that’s good to know he gets a day off!

      • Benn says:

        The IoW isn’t very far – it’s literally only 9 minutes journey from the mainland. Tons of people commute back and forth daily, so it’s not far to go for a day trip. I’ve day tripped it from London before.

    • CG says:

      I wouldn’t give my kid initials like that either, but I’m wondering if since they did they’re going to call him Trey? That was honestly my first thought when I read the baby name announcement a while back.

  2. Zapp Brannigan says:

    SHE IS HOLDING A FAKE UMBRELLA IN THE PICTURES!

    Looks around – have I done that right?

  3. Matador says:

    Mazel tov.

  4. lisa2 says:

    is that their son he is holding..

  5. Felice. says:

    I’m serious didn’t he film a Jag thing on Sunday?

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Does he still have a Jag contract? They haven’t used him in quite a while. They didn’t even use his voiceover in the last few commercials.

  6. Astrid says:

    What ever….I’m tired of their poshness.

  7. Chantal says:

    I know she is trying be private and protect her son, but this umbrella could have hurt CCC’s eye. And she could of fall with those ridiculous shoes (like them). I doubt she could see where she was walking to.

    • Tippet says:

      You’ve got to be effing kidding me. Let the parent-shaming begin. Ryan Reynolds vs. The Baby Carrier 2.0.

      Just shuuuut uuuuuup

      • Chantal says:

        There is no parent shaming my dear, just an observation. Calm down now, your medication is on its way. A sip of water might help in the meantime. Poor poor you…….

    • Fluff says:

      It’s Wanda holding the umbrella, not Sophie.

      • Froop says:

        Nope, there are pics of her walking alone, with the umbrella.

      • anon121 says:

        @fluff-Wanda looks like she would be happy anywhere but by Sophie.

      • Oh please! says:

        She’s obviously upset at being photographed. It’s pretty vile how the stans have invented nonsense about Ben’s parents hating Sophie (for example the lies they’ve spread about what happened on press night). Despite the fact they’re obviously close to their daughter-in-law.

        Oh, and Wanda was holding the umbrella.

      • Froop says:

        How are they ‘obviously close’? How is she ‘obviously upset’?
        And Wanda is not holding the umbrella. In the full set of pictures you can see her walking past a car, alone, carrying the baby and holding the umbrella at the same time. No Wanda in sight.

      • hermia says:

        No one but them and those around them whether they are close or not. It may very well be they are not, but for no more sinister reason that they don’t like each other. It is quite common between mother and daughter in law. 🙂

  8. Mary-Alice says:

    Old money families don’t work the kind of professions this woman’s parents worked. Not if the money and connections are still there. Now, technically if one digs deeper, most of us in Europe will turn out to come from old money which were lost about a century or two ago. If one wants to pretend being posh, one can always rely on a great-great-grandfather who ones served a king or queen or even had some title as minor as it may be. I highly doubt she comes from a wealthy family today but easily believe she has created some dramatic narative about herself and her mysterious aristo roots. It will only fit her incredible pretentiousness.

    • delphi says:

      Yes! My mother confirmed through some pretty epic research that my 16x great grandfather on her mother’s side was Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last literal Prince of Wales. Do I feel the need to brag or try to show off about it? Nope, not so much. I like a mundane, quiet life.

      Then again, one of the surnames of my ancestors in that same line is Hunter. Holy shitsnacks, I might be related to the Comet! I do enjoy a spot of calamari every now and then…

      • no more says:

        @Delphi we must be related! LOL I haven’t found a hunter yet though. Some only halfway related. I wouldn’t claim her if I did, and I found way worse.

        But on the cumhunter child papping. That’s horrid. Out of the way spot and no one else there but the family? I smell set up. It’s terrible to do that to a kid.

        I think the reason people want to believe it’s not a real kid is because they don’t want their unicorn prince to have shelled out his kid. That simple. The wife seems like she’d sell her soul to the devil. So it’s easier to blame her.

        Also a different magazine said Saturday instead of Sunday. He had two performances on Saturday. If he did do something on Sunday, well math is hard, as Barbie said. But she wore that pantsuit to Hamlet earlier in August. It could have been done then. That would explain it. They have “altered” dates before.

        I just dislike children being used as currency. That’s just wrong.

      • Somegirl says:

        Delphi, I was OBSESSED with Dafydd ap Gruffydd and the Llywellyns as a teen, so I at least am very impressed! My part-Welsh-American husband and I are expecting Baby #1 right now, & I think I’ve got him convinced to use Llywellyn as the middle name, if it’s a boy. That way if we have two boys the second’s middle name can be Dafydd. After our visit to Wales and some of the castles last year he’s much more on board with my name ideas 😀

        Also, can I ask which child of Dafydd’s you’re descended from? I thought after he was executed the surviving known girls were split among convents & the boys were imprisoned. I thought of the 4 Grufydd boys only Rhodri had surviving offspring, so it’s pretty neat to me if that’s not the case!

      • Kate says:

        I heard it was a local, not a pro, who took the shots. I could buy that. Bad photos, no credit on them, no need for them. They could have outed the christening news via the isle’s local paper for the same effect.

        Buying photos from a local person also takes longer.

    • Benn says:

      LOLNO.

      My greatgreatgrandfather was an Earl (from a very ancient family, Lords of the Manor in Saxon times) yet my grandfather was an accountant and my dad worked in computers.

      It’s so weird the kind of crap the Sherlock stans will make up because they can’t accept their magical unicorn internet boyfriend had the audacity to have sex with a real life woman. Nothing beats the fake baby conspiracy (which at this point involves Sophie Hunter secretly controlling the entire UK media plus the Church of England) though. Nothing.

    • EN says:

      I got an impression that her mother’s marriage was a misalliance of sorts. Her mother’s family is pretty well connected from what I’ve seen posted earlier. Her dad must’ve been quite a dashing young man 40 years ago)) So, who knows.

  9. Betti says:

    Still shilling that ‘great PRIVATE romance’ narrative then?

    Bendy and his wannabe poshness bores me already.

    • YupYepYam says:

      Ermh.. maybe it’s not a ‘narrative’.
      .didn’t know that christening your child considered as posh. I am posh too then.
      And I’m not bored with his stories. That’s why I’m here: ).

      • Annie says:

        It’s definitely not posh. Where did these people get that from, I don’t know! It’s a small in church in an isle. The local press just reported they went for a meal at a local pub after. We wouldn’t even know it happened at all if these photos (you can’t even see the faces of the parents!) made its way to The Sun.

      • hermia says:

        Not obviously posh, but very ‘old money’, with all the links to her family’s aristo-past. Hence a little bit posh. Or do you think posh people only eat at the Ivy? That would be nouveau riche, not posh 🙂

  10. EscapedConvent says:

    I would like to know why Sophie was juggling a baby and an umbrella when there were able-bodied adults all over the place who could have helped her. As in, the baby’s father could have held the umbrella. But there he goes, loping along with the diaper bag, not a care in the world.

    • j says:

      ppl were saying they came sep but idk

    • NUTBALLS says:

      EsCon, someone else was holding the umbrella.

      God, this has to be the most boring Cumberbatch post ever. I’m just here for a Comet Sophie.

      • EscapedConvent says:

        Yeah, it’s not like it used to be. I remember when our hearts pounded at the very mention of his name. There was usually blood on the page, courtesy of Eve’s shank collection. Sigh….

        Now, it’s kind of 😴.

  11. Ellie says:

    I think the implications here are bit silly.

    Christenings aren’t posh. Here’s the real story: in the UK everyone wants to get married/christened in a beautiful historical local church, not to mention use the church membership to get their kid into the local CofE school. Lots of beautiful churches have become quite strict about “membership/attendance” in order to qualify for a wedding there. In the really gorgeous Grade I listed churches they are often booked out years in advance (source: friend is a vicar in London) BUT a certain number of days are set aside for the “members of the congregation”.

    They likely used the same church because their “family connection” means that their great aunt has gone to the church every week for 45 years and so they get to qualify as part of the “congregation”.

    • Elisa the I. says:

      +1. sounds like a typical (European) christening to me…

    • qwerty says:

      ” in the UK everyone wants to get married/christened in a beautiful historical local church, ”

      Have you heard of atheists?

      • Tippet says:

        Even some atheists like to do things in churches on occasion. You don’t have to be religious or believe in God to enjoy certain traditions, especially if you grew up with them. I’m an atheist, but I still sing in the Episcopal church choir along with about six other atheists and a few Jews. Ymmv

      • Lucrezia says:

        Your options are limited in the UK because you have to marry in a licensed building. You can’t marry at home or in a garden. (Unless said garden has a permanent gazebo that is licensed.)

        I wouldn’t *avoid* choosing a church just because I’m atheist. To me it’s just like any other building. Churches tend to be pretty, so I’d probably end up choosing one over a registry office or pub.

  12. Chantal says:

    She might be from old money, but she does seem to have it in this century. Her father is professional card player. I don,’t know what her mother does. That does not say money to me, but I could be wrong.

  13. hermia says:

    Before SH happened, I had always imagined BC to be a lot more down to earth that he’s turned out to be. I imagined he would do the small, local parish church wedding thing and christen his son in the same casual setting, maybe wearing his chambray and faded jeans.
    I couldn’t have been more wrong. 🙂

    • j says:

      maybe it’s a cultural thing but we do weddings and christenings where everyone is dressed up like in the regular middle class in the us. my sister picked her church based on how it looked inside lol

      i would think a local parish church would be dumb tho. 2 many people knew where he lived

    • Lilacflowers says:

      I don’t think he was raised for the small, local parish church or faded jeans christening sort of life and he’s not a rebel.

    • Kate says:

      Not even remotely posh but I wouldn’t show up to a christening in jeans as even just a guest. They’re dressed appropriately.

      It’s funny because despite the nice surroundings, that IOW church is small and not very ornate inside. He had far bigger, posher options near his area.

    • seesittellsit says:

      Folk like BC are prone to return rapidly to their roots and traditions when marriage and children appear on the horizon. But apart from that, religious services confer validity. Given the blindingly shotgun nature of their rapid engagement and marriage, which I think they were hot to cover over, it stands to reason that they’d drape their marriage and family in every possible traditional meme.

      • hermia says:

        Ok it’s only me then. I am allergic to any kind of official ceremony. 🙂 Anyway good on them, now it’s all done and dusted and they can relax. 🙂

    • Fluff says:

      Minus the jeans (which would be considered incredibly rude and inappropriate here in England) that’s pretty much exactly what he did do.

  14. Annie says:

    Amazing! Let’s judge all marriages and relationships with one snapshot!

    Oh, and nobody pays attention to The Timeline but the most obsessed and jealous fans. They “fudged the dates” for a couple of people on here? Please! Get a grip.

    • speshul says:

      Are you new to Celebitchy? Welcome, and have a seat and a Comet Sophie.

    • omeomy says:

      Nannies 😜

    • Oh please! says:

      They’re also insisting the entire (“faked”) christening (i.e. staged with a baby they rented for the day) happened solely to try to convince the half a dozen obsessed stans on Tumblr that the baby is real. Which is apparently “proof” that the stans are right about there being no baby. Because if there was a baby, they wouldn’t need to prove it, right?

      You know, because going all the way to a private discreet church on the IoW and hoping that a member of the public grabs a couple of blurry snapshots and sells them to the press is such extreme famewhoring. It’s not like they could, I don’t know, do a magazine shoot, or parade the kid around in central London to get PR.

      Sad really. They’re obviously seriously mentally ill.

  15. Andrea says:

    Christopher will forever correlate with Parade’s end for me. End of.

  16. Andrea says:

    Does everyone still give them 3-5 years?

    • hermia says:

      My two cents: they seem made for each other, both the right shade of beige, and so for me this is one for life. They will have 3 kids and in a few years everybody will have forgotten about them and be on the next hot Brit. There, I said it.

      • WindowChair5 says:

        Good for you for saying it because I agree Hermia. They are in it for the long haul. No way they are getting divorced anytime in the near future. Never say never but I highly doubt it.

      • hermia says:

        He doesn’t seem the type who gets divorced. He’s a traditionalist, very old school and it seems he was desperate to settle down. So unless she strays, I don’t see why they shouldn’t last.
        It would be great if now the attention reverted to his work, which – Hamlet aside – has been a bit meh of late. I hope he will start taking on more varied projects, less of the blockbuster tripe he seems to be favouring.

    • Fluff says:

      I don’t generally much too much stock in any marriage, especially a celeb one, but they seem pretty loved-up and well-suited. They have as good a chance as anyone.

  17. seesittellsit says:

    A cruise of the extreme sceptic sites demonstrates that even a photo of the baby in his mother’s arms in a christening gown and the presence of Cumbers’ parents has not dented their insistence that there is no baby; if there is, it was either 1) a high-grade doll, or 2) rented for the occasion, and anyway, the Otter was actually somewhere else in the UK when this event took place. Yet again, Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch have managed to inveigle their respective families, friends (some of whom presumably were named godparents), and a Church of England Vicar (who was also photographed, I believe) in a gigantic public deception. Despite numerous articles running on the christening, it appears that the church leadership has been bribed by Hunter to refrain from a public announcement that there was no christening there that day.

    Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth: yes, they do seem a very strange couple and this has never smelled like the True Love fairy-tale the couple tried to sell the public. One hopes that little Christopher will nonetheless be fine . . .

  18. Boston Green Eyes says:

    Just a note to all the Cumber-somethings: Lydia Hearst, former fling of Lord Bendy, is newly engaged to Chris Hardwick (of Nerdist and Talking Dead fame).

    I guess she likes her men dorky!

  19. Chantal says:

    You are not being serious. I thought the people who do not believe they are married or the baby does not exist or the baby is fake are just being funny and are satirizing BC’s life. They surely are not serious, just having a little fun (sometimes mean) at their expense. All celebrities expect that. I assume they ignore it. However, I got the feeling Sh can ignore it and BC cannot. He seems the type to despair when he is not like.

    • seesittellsit says:

      @Chantal: They are deadly serious. I am convinced that this is how World War II happened: functional adults buying into something so bizarre it beggars description out of emotional need. Comes under the heading of “The truth never changed anybody’s mind.”

      Also among their theories: this was actually a stage set. BC’s parents were photographed somewhere else and then photo-shopped onto the photos. If flesh and blood, the baby could belong to one of their friends/family members, who graciously loaned the child to the couple for the occasion. . . you get the drift. And the cooperation of Cumbers’ family, friends, the CoE vicar and Parish Council of the church, all the news stories, etc., are all colluding in this to hide the depredations of Cumbers’ cocaine habit, which is what Hunter is really blackmailing him over, and in fact which she led him into . . .

      You couldn’t make it up.

      • WindowChair5 says:

        If people really believe that, it makes me sad. That type of denial is just not healthy for anyone. Why would people care so much about someone they don’t know to go so far as to believe any of that outlandish stuff? He got married and had a kid. I would advise people to accept it and move on but it appears some have not moved on so that kind of advice would not be well received. Again, it’s really sad and I feel sorry for these people. I think maybe they need some sort of mental help.

      • Fluff says:

        It’s seriously scary. A lot of them harass anyone who knows Ben via Twitter (or even anyone who tweets about Ben), so it’s not like they’re ashamed or secretive about it. They’re 100% convinced in the conspiracy and that it will be revealed one day.

  20. seesittellsit says:

    @Fluff . . . “and that it will be revealed one day it.” Yes, along with the exact location of the Lost Continent of Atlantis . . .